Floyd Brown—the same guy who created the legendary Willie Horton ad that derailed Michael Dukakis in 1988—is at it again. But this time he’s targeting Barack Obama.

If you think the jousting between Hillary and Obama has been ugly, take a look at this ad. And, if your stomach can take it, you can check out Brown’s website, too: ExposeObama.com.

Given the lessons of the past two elections, the Democrats can’t afford to simply ignore these attacks and hope they’ll go away. The question is: How can they fight back without hurling the same slime?

P.S. At the same time, Time reports today that John McCain is out stumping as a “caring conservative.” The battle for independent voters has begun.